Flee Alternia
by ifithappened
Summary: Feferi, the princess of Alternia, must flee her country due to political unrest. She brings her eleven closest friends with her and they struggle to adapt to the foreign culture in Houston, Texas. Highschool AU No Sburb
1. Chapter 1

The twelve teenagers step off of the plane into the Houston airport; all sore from the twenty hour flight from Alternia, a small country off the coast of Australia. When the princess, Feferi Peixes, was forced to abandon her country due to her life being in danger because of political unrest, she had decided to take her eleven friends with her. Alternia was a country stuck in the past, still ruled by kings and queens. The Peixes family reigned over most of the country, while the Ampora family reigned over a lesser portion. While Feferi was the princess of the Peixes family, Eridan Ampora was the prince of the Ampora family.

Gamzee Makara, a tall, lanky boy wearing ridiculous face paint, was the first to speak. "Wow... This party's bitchtits wicked yo... just look at all of these freaky motherfuckers!" he exclaimed as a very overweight woman wearing much less than she should passed the baffled group. Remembering his family, he pulled out his phone and texted his father that he had arrived just fine. Even though his father was busy subjuggulating a lot, he really did care about his son. His father is the head of the Subjuggulators, the law enforcement of Alternia.

It wasn't long, however, until the group erupted into a cacophony of chatter. Only bits and pieces were audible over the din of the airport at midday, so herding the group became a difficult task.

"Oh this is so EXCITING!" Feferi squealed, "I can't wait to explore and meet all of the new people here!" She rushed around, trying to get a glimpse of everything in the foreign airport; acting like anything but a princess.

"Fef, these people here don't deserve to get to know you. You are so much better than them," Eridan commented proudly, strutting around with his head held high. Karkat punched him on the shoulder. "Ow! What was that for Kar?" he asked.

"Being a fucking pompous hipster as always," Karkat replied scathingly. Eridan stood up tall, looking down on Karkat.

"You know Kar, your dad wouldn't like you punchin royalty like that." He smirked, thinking that he had something on Karkat.

"Just because my dad is a preacher doesn't mean he thinks you are so much better than everyone else. Where would you get that idea anyway? He fucking preaches about equality and shit like that," Karkat said loudly as he sped up so he wouldn't be walking by Eridan. Karkat got quite a few angry looks from the people nearby for his constant use of profanity, but he was used to it.

They eventually made their way to baggage claim and retrieved their suitcases. Equius Zahhak, the Royal Guard in training, took care of lugging all of their bags off the belt, showcasing his impossible strength. He wore his broken glasses as straight on his nose as he could get them, and he didn't smile much because of his crooked teeth, so many incorrect first impressions were given in the next few days.

While Equius was busy retrieving bags, Vriska amused herself by participating in a quick round of High-Stakes Blackjack with a few strangers. She giggled, proud of her quick victory and that she was upholding her father's legacy of champion gambler.

As the cluster of teenagers walked to the buses outside of the airport, Terezi Pyrope, daughter of the legendary Legislacerator of Alternia, pulled out her phone and quickly replied to one of her online role-playing buddies. Stuffing the phone back into her pocket, she turned her blind gaze to Kanaya Maryam, who was scolding Vriska for gambling so quickly after they arrived in the new country.

"Really, what were you thinking? You should not have done that without knowing more about their culture. No one has any idea what people here find offensive. Please mind yourself better in the future, Vriska," Kanaya finished, allowing her motherly rant to end. She was, after all, the daughter of the Royal Midwife, and she had quite the maternal streak.

"Oh, shut up Kanaya. I could care less what you think. And anyway, I didn't take a risk there. I only mimicked what they did and said. At least I am smart about interacting with these people," she exclaimed, making a contemptuous gesture towards Nepeta Leijon, who was making an absolute fool of herself fawning over a young couples' cat.

"Oooh! She is just so cute! May I- huh?" Nepeta squeaked as Equius tapped her shoulder.

"Nepeta, I do believe it is time to board the bus. Although I do understand your STRONG love for cats, I believe it would be advisable to proceed quickly out of the airport," Equius said in a quiet voice.

"Okay Equius! Just lead the way!" she chirped as she turned away from the flustered young couple and the violated looking cat.

Nepeta adjusted her cat ears she had received from her parents as a going away present and continued walking, her blue cat's tail dragging slightly on the ground. From inside her oversized green jacket she drew a photo of her family standing outside of their pet shop. She purred and stowed the crumpled sheet of paper in her pocket.

Her head snapped to the side in surprise as Sollux Captor frantically made a dash back to baggage claim, his red-and-blue glasses bouncing on his face. "Crap! My computer!" he huffed as sprinted towards the belt making a loop through the open room. Frantically chasing a black messenger bag, he snatched it from the moving black plastic right before it disappeared behind the dark flaps hiding the mechanics and conveyor belts of the baggage claim. "I almost forgot it!" He gasped as he caught back up with the group. His father would have had a fit if he had lost his computer. His father was a hacker employed by the Peixes Family, so Sollux knew a lot about hacking and programming.

Finally the teenagers began to board the bus which would take them to their new home, Crocker Apartments, where they would be staying indefinitely.

All was going smoothly until Tavros Nitram rolled up in his wheelchair to the bus. "Excuse me, sir? Would you... uh... happen to have a handicap lift?" Tavros asked the bus driver quietly.

"As it so happens, we do!" the bus driver exclaimed as he led Tavros over to the lift and got him situated in the back of the bus. "I... I'm really sorry I caused you trouble, sir..." Tavros said, looking down at his immobile legs. Even being the son of a public speaker who was very outspoken against bullying and promoted high self-esteem, he had a lot of confidence issues due to teasing about his legs and his father's so called 'lame' occupation.

"Really, it was no trouble at all!" the bus driver said as he closed the doors on the bus and sent it rolling.

Aradia Megido sat silently next to Feferi, hoping she wouldn't be asked to do anything for the royal bitch. Aradia sighed. Well, she didn't really think Feferi was that bad, it was just she was born into being Feferi's handmaid, and it was not what she wanted to be doing with her life. "What's wrong?" Sollux lisped when he heard Aradia sigh.

"Oh nothing," Aradia replied hollowly. Nobody knew that she wasn't content with her place, as it was supposedly a very sought after job.

About thirty minutes later, the bus arrived at their destination. The twelve gathered their luggage and filed off of the bus, eager to see where they would be staying from now on. The apartment building was six stories tall and fairly extravagant. "This will do," Kanaya stated before gracefully heading towards the entrance to the building. The others followed her through the rotating door into the lobby.

"Uh… What rooms are we staying in again?" Tavros queried, twisting his fingers nervously and hoping he didn't get placed in a room with Eridan.

"One second," Karkat said as he pulled the papers explaining everything out of his backpack. "Eridan and Sollux are staying in room 200-"

"Ugh are you kidding me!" Sollux interrupted, "I seriously have to put up with this douche as a roommate?"

"You must be fuckin jokin Kar," Eridan said at the same time.

"No I'm not 'fuckin jokin', you two are going to be roommates," Karkat replied angrily, "Now where was I. Tavros and Gamzee, you two are roommates."

"That is motherfuckin awesome isn't it Tavbro," Gamzee said.

"I guess so…" Tavros murmured.

"The other pairs are me and Equius, Feferi and Nepeta, Aradia and Kanaya, and finally Terezi and Vriska," Karkat finished. A few groans came from Terezi and Vriska but everyone else muttered in agreement. "We are on the fourth floor in rooms 413-418. Just pick a fucking room, they are all the same. I will give you the keys once we reach the rooms," Karkat said with authority before getting in the elevator. The rest of the group followed him silently for once.


	2. Settling In

Once the group was settled into their respective rooms, the bickering began again.

"Sol did you steal my hair gel?" Eridan snapped in an accusatory tone, rummaging around in his bag of hair supplies.

"Why the hell would I take your hair gel fishdick," Sollux replied angrily, utilizing his favorite insult he had for Eridan. He had been calling Eridan that since childhood. "Does it look like I use it?"

Eridan practically growled at Sollux before throwing his bag down and walking to the other end of the apartment. He couldn't believe that he would have to put up with Sollux as his roommate for who knows how long.

In Tavros and Gamzee's apartment, unpacking was going smoothly in comparison.

"Uh, Gamzee, why are there horns everywhere?" Tavros questioned. "It… It's a bit hard for me to get around the apartment, with them everywhere on the ground," He added as he tried to navigate through the slew of horns scattered haphazardly around the apartment.

"Oh! I'm sorry Tavbro," Gamzee apologized, starting to gather all of the horns into a corner of the apartment so they would be out of the way. "I didn't remember that there was another motherfucker with me," he smiled apologetically at Tavros. "I am just used to them being all up and everywhere."

Tavros looked at the floor, embarrassed as his face reddened a bit at the act of kindness from the lanky clown. He was more used to being bullied than being treated kindly. "I was just wondering, why, uh, do you have so many horns?" Tavros asked Gamzee.

"They just make me motherfuckin happy," Gamzee replied, beaming at his horn pile.

Nepeta and Feferi passed the time as they unpacked by discussing Nepeta's favorite hobby, shipping. "And I can guarantee Sollux and..." Nepeta prattled, going on and on about who Sollux was bound to end up with.

Karkat and Equius were almost silent as they went about unpacking, but it was a comfortable silence. The same could be said for Aradia and Kanaya. Unfortunately, things did not go as well in room 413.

Terezi groaned when she realized that, instead of unpacking, Vriska was spending her time gambling online using her laptop; the only thing she had bothered to get out. "Vriska could you at least put your gambling addiction to the side until we are done unpacking," Terezi said sharply while she continued to unload her suitcases and put everything in its place; moving around rather gracefully for a blind person in a new environment.

Vriska glanced up for only a moment before returning back to her poker game.

"Bluh bluh big bitch," Terezi muttered, making sure to be loud enough for Vriska to hear her.

The big bitch glared up at Terezi before, predictably, returning to her poker game. "Well! This is going to be such fun," Terezi thought as she shoved the last of her clothes into the dresser bitterly.

It was a bit past midnight before all of the twelve were fast asleep. Normally they would stay up much later, but tomorrow was a big day.

Tomorrow was their first day at Scratch High, and it sure was going to be eventful.


	3. First Day

The twelve children stood at the bus stop, muttering amongst themselves and shifting anxiously from side to side. It was not long until the yellow bus rolled up and the pop of the brakes seemed to officially signal the start of their high school careers. The doors seemed to swing outwards with all of the authority of fate itself. Eleven children passed through the door, and one entered through the handicap lift. All of the air on the bus seemed to disappear as everyone gasped as twelve new students appeared, slowly strutting down the aisle to any open seats they could locate. The bus had seemed full already, but with the addition of these people some had to scrunch three to a seat.

John Egbert's eyes were huge behind his black square frame glasses. Twelve absolutely alien looking teens had just boarded the bus. The one in front, a stunning girl with olive skin, almond shaped gray, almost lavender, eyes, a button nose, long, shiny black hair, pink glasses, and a multicolored skirt that almost brushed the floor led the large group of similar looking individuals. The one behind her had a purple highlight in his hair and a similar looking face. Each one down the line had interesting traits; clown make-up and dark eyes, broken teeth and sweaty long hair, sunglasses with one impossibly blue eye blacked out, red glasses and a cane with a dragon's head on the top, black lipstick, green eyes and a long kimono-like dress, a blue cat ear hood and an oversized green jacket, blue and red glasses, red mascara and red-brown eyes, and finally a shorter boy with black eyes and messy black hair. The one who had entered through the handicap lift had a mohawk and light brown eyes.

John was truly surprised when the regal-looking teen who had first entered the bus sat down in the seat across the aisle, next to his cousin Jade Harley. Dave Strider, his best bro, shifted in the seat next to him as the grumpy looking short member of the new kids seated himself with a huff next to John. Upon closer inspection, the new occupant of the seat had gray bags under his eyes and prominent cheekbones above a sharp chin. His eyelashes were formidably long for a boy, and his nose was turned up slightly, giving him an almost feminine look about him. Almost unconsciously, John labeled the newcomer as 'beautiful'. John quickly reprimanded himself repeating his catchphrase, "no homo" in his head before, flustered, hastily introducing himself.

"Um… Hi! I'm John Egbert and this is Dave Strider!" he exclaimed and extended a hand toward the newcomer.

"Fuck off," he said and hunched his shoulders away from Dave and John. The girl across from him was quick to speak after she noticed John's look of hurt on his face.

"Please forgive him, John! He is always so grumpy and it's not your fault he is so foul mouthed! By the way, I'm Feferi Peixes. We're new here; do you think you could show us around the school once we get there?" she said, a lilting cadence in her speech predominant, making every word she said sound foreign.

"Sure! Just curious, where do you come from? Your accent is so beautiful!" John exclaimed, annoyed at how his words sounded gruff and harsh compared to her smooth speech.

"Alternia. It's a small country off the coast of Australia that doesn't appear on most maps because it's so tiny. It's fucking stuck in the past and can't seem to get past the age of kings and queens. Now shut your overexcited trap," Karkat interjected. His voice was gravelly, although that did not take away from the elegant accent they all seemed to sport as he caught bits and snippets of conversation from all over the bus.

Jade and Feferi seemed to bond instantly; their friendly dispositions fit together perfectly. Karkat, however, seemed determined to make sure no one could have a pleasant conversation with him.

Elsewhere on the bus, Rose Lalonde was holding a pleasant conversation with the newcomer Kanaya Maryam. They quietly discussed fashion in the U.S., as Kanaya did not know what to think of what many children on the bus were wearing.

Of course, Eridan had to self insert into their conversation. "See, Kan, I am not helpless in the area of fashion. Just look at these people, trying to imitate my amazing hipster style," hesaid, no sarcasm at all in his voice.

It was not long until the bus glided to a stop in front of the school. All of the children bundled out of the bus, taking in their new school.

Lunch was the least stressful part of the day. Showing up suddenly in the middle of October meant countless introductions in every class, and every newcomer was exhausted. They tiredly sat at a table with Jade, John, Dave, and Rose.

Karkat seated himself between John and Dave, not knowing where else to sit. Dave was somewhat startled at this, as he seemed adorably unhappy this morning to sit with them on the bus.

"Are you back for more of the wonderful Dave Strider?" Dave asked Karkat in a totally ironic way.

"You tell me. What do you think I am? A fucking schoolgirl? I sat here because I have at least held a conversation with you, and all of the rest of these people… Ugh," he said condescendingly.

"So you are back for more," Dave said, poking fun at the elegant boy. Dave inhaled and noticed that Karkat smelled like… feet. What the fuck did you expect him to smell like? All males smell horrid, Dave thought. Why am I worried about his smell anyways?

"Hello, Earth to fuckass!" Karkat growled impatiently at the long, slightly awkward, silence.

"Um…" John started, "I am going to go get food now. Youwanna come?"

"Not that I have anything else to do," Karkat said, standing. Dave admired his slightly womanly figure, taking note of his narrow waist and his narrow hips. Rising slowly, Dave followed John and Karkat to the lunch line.

Jade looked on in despair.

She saw the way Dave looked at Karkat's ass. He has a crush on him, she thought in. This did not bode well for her unspoken feelings for Dave. Every time he looked her way, she swears her heart almost beat its way out of her chest. She clenched her eyes shut and faced the other way, fighting back tears.

"Are you okay?"Feferi asked, tapping her shoulder, a look of concern on her face.

"Yeah! So how was the beginning of your first day?" Jade asked, desperately trying not to sniffle.

"It was fun! The introductions were a little taxing, though. But overall, it was great!"

Jade was so glad Feferi was around right now. She knew both John and Rose knew her well enough that they would know something was up. Feferi was new and didn't know how to read her moods. But she was also more energetic than Rose, and probably would relate to her problems easier. Maybe someday she would talk to Feferi about Dave.

"You like watching movies Karkat!? I love movies! What kind of movies do you like?" John bubbled.

"Romcoms. I love romcoms," Karkat admitted grudgingly. He hunched his shoulders and stared at his plate.

"That is so adorable Karkat! I love movies with Nicolas Cage!" John said happily, excited to have a new movie buddy.

"They are so fucking awful, Karkat. Don't let him talk you into watching one," Dave said, putting a hand on Karkat's shoulder.

"What about Con Air?"John exclaimed.

"Especially not Con Air," Dave countered.

"Get your fucking hand off of me," Karkat growled as he aggressively pushed Dave's hand off of his shoulder. Dave raised his hands up in surrender, before tucking into his meal.

The second half of the day went much the same as the first; boring introduction after boring introduction. After an eternity, it was time to board the bus again. Everyone sat in the same positions as they had in the morning.

John was actually able to engage Karkat in conversation with the topic of movies for most of the trip. Right before the bus stopped at the apartments John made an announcement.

"Um, guys? I'm having a party at my house on Saturday at two and you're all invited if you want to come," John announced nervously.

"Sure! We will all come!" Feferi replied, speaking for everyone. "Karkat, give him your pesterchum handle so he can text you his address," Feferi said, letting a bit of a commanding edge creep into her voice.

"Fine," Karkat muttered before ripping a piece of paper out of his binder and scribbling a handle on it. He knew better than to disobey the princess when she was serious. He shoved the piece of paper into John's hand just before the bus stopped at the apartments and he quickly shuffled off.


	4. The Party

An hour or so after the Alternians arrived at their apartment Karkat was sitting at his computer when a loud pinging sound rang and a notification popped up. Someone with the handleectoBiologist was pestering him.

ectoBiologist [EB]began trollingcarcinoGeneticist [CG]

EB: hi karkat!

CG: WHO THE FUCK IS THIS?

EB: it's john!

CG: OH. I FORGOT YOU WERE GOING TO CONTACT ME.

CG: SO WHAT IS IT?

CG: YOUR ADDRESS I MEAN.

EB: i live at 120 Sburb Lane.

EB: i know it's a kinda weird street name…

CG: THAT IS PRETTY WEIRD.

CG: SO I GUESS, THANKS TO FEFERI, WE ARE ALL COMING

SATURDAY.

EB: yeah! it will be a lot of fun!

CG: SURE. IT WILL FUCKING BE A LOT OF FUN.

CG: A CROWD OF PEOPLE BEING CRAZY AND STUPID PARTY GAMES.

CG: I CAN'T CONTAIN MYSELF FOR ALL OF THIS FUN THAT

IS GOING TO ENSUE.

EB: you really are antisocial karkat.

EB: it will be fun!

EB: i'm sure of it.

CG: WHO ALL IS INVITED ANYWAY?

EB: all twelve of your friends, dave, jade, and rose.

CG: WELL AT LEAST IT IS PEOPLE I KNOW GETTING CRAZY AND

PLAYING STUPID PARTY GAMES.

EB: i have to go :(

EB: my dad wants me to try his cake he baked.

EB: bye karkat! see you at schooltomorrow.

CG: GOODBYE FUCKASS.

ectoBiologist [EB] ceased pesteringcarcinoGeneticist [CG]

Karkat sighed as he left the warmth and comfort of the couch to go to Feferi's room to tell her where the party was.

"May I ask where you are going?" Equius inquired politely when he noticed Karkat standing up.

"I have to go to Feferi's room to tell her where to stupid fucking party is," Karkat replied grumpily; pretending to not notice Equius flinch when he used profanity. Equius had quite an aversion to "lewd" language as he put it. You'd think that he would be used to it after being around Karkat for a while.

Karkat slammed the door shut to his apartment and strode over to the door to Feferi and Nepeta's apartment. He rapped on the door until a tired looking Nepeta opened the door. "What are you doing here Karkitty?" she asked.

"I need to speak with Feferi," Karkat said, bristling at the use of the nickname, "Karkitty". He had given up on trying to get Nepeta to not use it, but he still disliked it.

"Feferi, Karkat needs you!" Nepeta yelled over her shoulder. Feferi appeared next to Nepeta, looking obnoxiously bubbly as always.

"Oh," Feferi exclaimed, "did you get the address?"

"Yeah. It is 120 Sburb Lane," he replied as he backed away to go back to his apartment.

Before he left, Feferi asked who was coming and he told her what John has said. Nepeta and Feferi both seemed excited at the people he listed. "They must be becoming good friends with those Jade and Rose chicks," he thought to himself as he fell back onto the couch.

The rest of the week passed quickly and it was Saturday before they knew it. The girls (and Eridan) spent most of the day getting ready for the party. The guys mostly just laid around the apartment until it was time to leave for John's party.

The group arrived about ten minutes after two due to Eridan making a scene until they agreed to go into the house at a time that was "fashionably late". Gamzee knocked on the door of the modest home until John opened the door.

"Hi!" John said excitedly, "I'm glad you could make it." He gestured for the group to come inside to the living roomwhere Dave, Jade, and Rose were already waiting. The group of twelve moved through the narrow entryway in a line. Gamzee was the first to enter, wearing his signature baggy polka-dot pants and black t-shirt. All of the guys (again, except Eridan) were dressed in a similar fashion. Eridan was wearing his black dress shirt, blue and black striped pants, a blue striped scarf, and a cape; a fucking purple cape. The girls were dressed much more fashionably; Kanaya in a red dress and matching heels, Aradia in a maroon dress and black flats, Nepeta wearing an olive green skirt and grey blouse topped with her signature cat hat, Vriska in a black dress and tights with a spider web pattern, Terezi in a suit resembling that of a lawyers, and finally Feferi was wearing a flouncy dark pink dress with her tiara that has the Peixes family sign in the center.

John, Dave, Jade, and Rose were all in t-shirts and jeans. It was painfully obvious that all of the Alternian girls were extremely overdressed for the event; but it didn't seem the phase them.

"Yo," was all Dave said when he saw them.

Jade rushed over to Feferi to hug her hello as Rose stood up to greet Kanaya. Once everyone was sitting in the living room John ushered them to sit in a circle.

"We are going to play truth or dare!" John announced happily.

"Of course, stupid party games," Karkat grumbled, "I thought this game was for middle school kids."

"Oh come on my invertebrother," Gamzee said, "let's just all up and have motherfuckin fun playing the game." He had obviously had some sopor before the party; he looked even more stoned than usual.

Karkat scowled. "What the fuck does invertebrother even mean Gamzee?"

"Karkat," Kanaya said dangerously, glaring across the circle at Karkat. He shut up but still made a point to look blatantly unhappy.

"Who wants to go first?" John asked. Dave raised his hand. "Okay Dave, pick someone to ask!" John instructed.

"Karkat," Dave said in a monotone voice, "truth or dare?" He looked next to him at Karkat, who had sat between him and John.

"Truth," Karkat huffed, hugging his knees to his chest.

"What is your sexuality?" Dave asked with a smirk.

Karkat snarled at the question, obviously not wanting to say the answer, but he did anyway. "I'm bisexual. Actually, all twelve of us are." Dave smiled a tiny bit at this answer, which is a very rare occurrence.

"That's a bit odd," John butted in. "Oh no! I don't mean that you being bisexual is odd! I just meant that, well, all twelve of you being bisexual is a bit odd," he added, horrified at the words that had just poured out of his mouth. A silence filled the air after this comment. He awkwardly fiddled with his glasses before someone said something.

"It's okay," Aradia said soothingly, "we understand. It is a bit odd since here bisexuals make up a small percent of the population." She reached over to pat John comfortingly on the arm.

For Karkat, this was the last straw; he jumped up and stomped away, slamming the door on his way back to the apartment.

When the door slammed shut Sollux said, "Well, I think we should give him some space for a while." Tavros, Vriska, and a few others nodded in agreement.

Against this advice, Dave stood and followed Karkat out of the house. Karkat walked all the way to his apartment whileDave followed him. Karkat was unaware that Dave had followed him until he heard a knocking on his apartment door a few minutes after he had arrived.

"What the fuck do you want," he snarled with as much animosity as he could muster after he violently opened the door to see Dave standing there.

Dave leaned casually against the doorframe. "I just wanted to see if you were okay," he replied.

"Well you know what Strider? I'm not fucking okay. I'm tired of people treating us different in this new country and saying things like what John just said," Karkat said between gritted teeth, clenching his small fists.

Dave walked into the apartment without invitation and plopped down on the sofa, patting the spot next to him. "Come on and sit here. We can talk," he said calmly.

Karkat looked around, as if he was trying to find a way to escape, before grudgingly sitting next the Dave. Dave looked him in the eyes and muttered something inaudible.

"What did you say?" Karkat inquired, shifting uncomfortably.

Dave struggled with how to reply, before leaning towards Karkat and gently kissing him. He knew they had known each other for less than a week, but damn, those lips were beautiful. Karkat's eyes widened and he was paralyzed when he heard the door open.

"Karkat? I just wanted to apologize-" John called, stopping when his horrified gaze fell upon Karkat and Dave. He stumbled backwards. John then absconded from the apartment building. He knew that seeing his best friend kiss Karkat shouldn't have affected him; especially since he is "not a homosexual", but for some reason it did.

Karkat unfroze after he saw John leave and the reality of what had just happened dawned on him. "What the fuck Strider!" Karkat screeched as he pointed to the door. "Get out, get out!"

Dave looked puzzled, nobody had ever rejected him before. He strode out of the room silently and kept walking with his head held down as he heard the door slam behind him.


	5. The Chapter of Much Shipping

On Monday, Karkat still couldn't figure out how he was going to act around Dave. He was pretty freaked out that Dave had kissed him, and worried that he had possibly angered John.

As he nervously got on the bus and proceeded to his seat, he noticed that John was over sitting with some other kids in the vehicle, avoiding his normal seat. Dave was still stoically parked the same place.

Karkat anxiously slid into the seat, next to Dave. Dave looked at him and began to speak.

"So... this Saturday. Lunch. Eleven. Be at my 101 of the Derse Apartment complex. No excuses for not being there."

Karkat nodded, for once too flustered to say anything. After that, they slipped into an average, albeit awkward, conversation about shoes.

At lunch that day, John was just as awkward as before. He stood up to go through the lunch line a few minutes after Dave and Karkat. Dave had reached over and took Karkat's hand, although Karkat quickly slapped it away, not even letting the contact last for a full second. Dave laughed and punched Karkat's shoulder lightly, eliciting a growl and a rainbow of language from his mouth.

John huffed at the recent memory, not quite sure if he was pleased for his friend or jealous or jealous of him.

Jealous...? Why would he be jealous of Dave?

As John trudged toward the lunch line, staring at his feet, he ran right into Karkat's head with his. It seemed to affect Karkat more than him, however; while John just took a surprised step back, Karkat tripped on his own feet and fell into Dave, who was right behind him. Thankfully, he had set down both trays of food as soon as he saw John and Karkat collide, so no food spilled on the floor as Dave sat down hard on his butt. Karkat followed suit as he crashed onto the floor between Dave's legs. Dave took advantage of the moment and pulled Karkat's small frame into a hug. Karkat was too dazed to say anything for a few seconds, but it wasn't long until he jumped up and started yelling at Dave. "What the actual fuck, Dave? Am I your girlfriend or something? Fuck off!"

"Well, if it was up to me, you would be my girlfriend," Dave said coolly.

This was the last straw for John. He could feel tears swimming in his eyes and a furious red blush covering his face. He turned and darted towards the bathroom, wiping his eyes with his sleeve as he went.

"John?" Jade called as she watched her cousin run across the cafeteria in an upset manner. She stood up, knocking her chair over and stormed over to wherever John was running from. She found Dave on his butt, leaning back on his hands in a waythat stretched his shirt tight over his chest. Karkat was yelling at Dave, his face red from either yelling so much or embarrassment.

"What did you do to John?" she exploded, her fists clenched at her sides and one foot threatening to stomp the floor.

"... what?" Karkat asked, confused.

"Didn't you just see him- UGH! You are such idiots!" She exclaimed, turning around and stomping to the boy's bathroom, fighting back tears herself. She couldn't stand watching Dave make goo-goo eyes at Karkat.

She knocked on the door. "John?" she said, holding her breath as she waited for an answer.

"Jade, I don't mean to be rude, but please go away," John sniffled back weakly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked weakly.

"If I had wanted to talk about it, would I be hiding in the bathroom?"

"Oh... well, make sure to catch your next class," Jade called, unsure of what to say. She turned her back and walked slowly to the table where the rest of her friends waited anxiously.

Dave knocked on the door to John's house and shifted nervously from side to side while the seconds stretched into minutes as he waited.

Just as he was about to turn away, the door flew open and John appeared, hair wet and in gold pajamas.

"Yes?" John asked quietly.

"I need to talk to you about something. Can I come in or do I have to languish outside?" Dave asked, allowing a bit of sarcasm into his voice.

John opened the door wider and motioned for him to come in. Dave stepped past the threshold and into the house, walking to the living room.

After seating himself, Dave turned to John and began to talk in a low, mellow voice.

"I'm sorry about today at lunch. It's pretty obvious you have a thing for Karkat's ass and I shouldn't have pushed you like that. I probably seem like the biggest fucking douche right now, but I just wanted to clear the air. Again, I'm really sorry."

"I just talked to Jade," John said, seemingly ignoring Dave's heartfelt speech. He stared at the floor, his eyes wide open.

"What?" Dave asked, surprised why Jade was involved in this as well.

"She's really upset right now."

"Why? Does she have a thing for Karkat too?" Dave asked, oblivious to the obvious truth that most everyone else could see.

"No, numbnuts! She has a thing for douchey you! Are you blind?" John nearly screamed. "It's not just me you owe an apology to, you owe one to her too! She is probably in more pain than me about this mess! She has felt this way every time she's felt defeated by a girl you've dated! She is despairing right now because all of a sudden, boys are on her playing field too!"

Dave was, needless to say, completely lost for words. Not only has his best friend just admitted to homosexuality, albeit in a roundabout way, another one of his friends had been in love with him for years and he hadn't even seen it.

"Oh fuck John, I didn't realize..." Dave said softly, trailing off at the end.

"Out, Dave. I will be on complete best bro terms with youtomorrow, I just need to straighten things out in my head," John said, opening the door and all but shoving Dave out of it.

On Saturday, at eleven, Karkat arrived at Dave's apartment complex. Dave was waiting at the base of the stairs for him, wearing his signature black pants. record shirt, and red converse.

"Yo," Dave said as he opened an orange truck's door for Karkat.

Karkat grumbled as he got in the car, strapping himself in as Dave pulled away from his apartment.

"Where are we even going for lunch?" Karkat asked, glaring out the window.

"Just a little coffee shop. Stop getting your panties in a bunch," Dave replied, flicking the turn signal on. They quickly arrived at, what do you know, a little coffee shop.

After entering, they sat down at a two person table near the window.

While they ate, they both endured the awkward silence of a lifetime.

"So..." both Dave and Karkat said several times, trying to start a conversation, but in the long run, failing to make a lasting exchange of words. Eventually though, they were able to hold an almost pleasant conversation when they began to discuss music.

They both loved music, although their preferred genres were very different. Karkat enjoyed listening to show tunes and soft alternative stuff. Dave preferred heavier pop and rap.

In the end, they had a great time discussing and arguing about music. Their date ended in tears of laughter and an awkward hug when Dave dropped Karkat off at his apartment.

Meanwhile, Jade and John were busy scheming to steal the loves of their life.


	6. The Plan (Part One)

EB: so its decided?

GG: yes! lets do this!

gardenGnostic [GG] ceased pesteringectoBiologist [EB]

After days of scheming, their plan was finally ready to put in action. If everything went well, they would be the happiest people in the universe. John immediately opened another conversation, his hand shaking with anxiousness.

ectoBiologist [EB] began pesteringcarcinoGenecist [CG]

EB: hi karkat!

CG: WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?

Karkat stared at his laptop screen in disbelief. John was seeking him out? It seemed like he had really upset John with his actions regarding Dave and John's reaction to Karkat's sexuality.

CG: I MEAN,

CG: YOU AREN'T ANGRY AT ME.

EB: why would I be angry at you?

John answered Karkat's question truthfully. He wasn't angry at Karkat; he was upset with Dave for flaunting his and Karkat's relationship and for upsetting Jade.

CG: I GUESS.

CG: YOU SEEMED PRETTY EMOTIONAL ABOUT SOMETHING.

CG: IT WAS FUCKING DAVE WASN'T IT.

CG: THE CLUSTERFUCK OF DOUCHE.

EB: well... something he did did upset me

EB: but i was wondering if you wanted to go to the movies and see titanicthis weekend? it would be fun!

EB: the remastered version just came out in theaters!

CG: I HAVE NEVER SEEN TITANIC DUE TO THE TEARFEST EVERY FUCKING PERSON I KNOW HAS HAD BECAUSE OF THE MOVIE.

EB: come on karkat! it'll be fun!

CG: FINE FUCKASS I WILL WATCH THE STUPID MOVIE WITH YOU.

CG: BUT I WILL NOT BE YOUR SHOULDER TO CRY ON.

What could have upset John? Karkat thought, looking back on the day John had stormed away in tears. Karkat had gotten the story from Dave on Pesterchum the day it had happened. Dave did seem to know what upset John but refused to tell Karkat.

EB: thanks karkat! so, this saturdayat eleven?

CG: UHH

CG: ACTUALLY,

CG: I WILL BE RIGHT BACK.

Karkat frowned. Dave and him were scheduled at the same time in two days, on Saturday. He quickly started pestering Dave.

carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trollingturntechGodhead [TG]

CG: HEY.

CG: I NEED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUTSATURDAY.

TG: good

TG: because i need to discuss that shit with you too

CG: JOHN WANTS ME TO GO SEE FUCKINGTITANIC WITH HIM AT THE SAME TIME WE HAVE OUR HANG OUT THING.

TG: date

TG: just call it what it is

TG: and go with john to see the shitty movie

TG: gtg got to go strife with my bro

TG: im gonna get my ass whooped withsmuppet plush rump and shitty cosplayswords

CG: HAVE FUN DOING WHATEVER FUCKASSES DO WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING.

carcinoGenecist [CG] ceased pesteringturntechGodhead [TG]

Karkat opened the tab with John back up, perplexed. Since John's 'incident' Dave had severely backed off, not even mentioning their Saturday date since it was made on their last one.

EB: okay!

EB: karkat?

EB: are you still there?

CG: YES FUCKASS,

CG: I AM STILL HERE.

CG: AND I WILL COME THIS WEEKEND TO SEE THE SHITTY MOVIE.

EB: okay! see you there!

ectoBiologist [EB] ceased pestering carcinoGenecist [CG]

John lifted his hands from the keyboard. He felt like screaming in elation. But...

Had he just asked another boy out on a date?

He knew well what it felt like to have a crush on someone. Several years ago, he had a crush on Rose, although that feeling had quickly passed once they entered high school. He felt the same way about Karkat. It was unmistakable.

He was a homosexual.

No, not quite. He still liked girls. He was bisexual, then, just like the Alternians are. The thing that had offended Karkat.

John was in love with a boy.


	7. The Plan (Part Two)

The next day at lunch, Jade took a deep, shaky breath. Her stomach was turning itself in knots. She couldn't quite believe what she was about to do. She nodded to John, who rose and slinked quietly away toward the front of the cafeteria where the stage was. Jade then made eye contact with Rose, who unlatched the wood case in her lap at withdrew her violin.

Swallowing, Jade stepped up onto the table. A hush flew over the cafeteria as Rose, the quiet, stoic, girl joined her.

Jade made one last signal to John, who was up on the stage now, and he began to tap out soft notes on the piano which permanently was stationed on the stage. Rose lifted her violin and drew the bow across the strings, shifting her fingers frantically as notes changed in the soft melody.

Jade took one last breath, and opened her mouth to sing.

She wasn't a particularly good singer, but when she did sing, it came straight from her heart.

"Never knew I could feel like this... Like I've never seen the sky before. Want to vanish inside your kiss," Not a single person in the cafeteria was speaking as Jade sang out.

"Seasons may change, winter to spring... But I love you until the end of time..."

Jade voice cracked a little, but she persisted, trying not to hyperventilate as she turned slowly to face Dave.

"Come what may! Come what may...

I will love you until my dying day,"

Jade took a tentative step closer to Dave, trying not to step in people's food trays as she traversed the table.

"Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place. Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace... Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste! It all revolves around you..." Jade sorely missed the harmony in this verse. The beautiful harmonies were half of the song.

"And there's no mountain too high! No river too wide...

Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side!

Storm clouds may gather,"

She was standing in front of Dave now. His normalpokerface was beginning to drop. His mouth was half open and he was leaning back in his chair in disbelief.

"And sta-" Jade's voice completely stopped at this note. She had hit higher than it before, but her voice refused to hit it this time. She attempted to get back in the song, but her voice did not seem to want to go that high. Instead, an awful gruff sound scratched out of her throat.

It would have been okay.

She would have gotten back on track.

If someone hadn't laughed.

Soon the entire cafeteria was roaring. People clutched at their stomachs while pointing fingers.

Everyone but the twelve Alternians and her three friends.

Everything seems like déjà-vu as she starts to walk off, hunched over, tears starting to well up in her eyes. Before Jade feels comforting arms wrap around her, holding her back from leaving the cafeteria. She looks behind her with bleary eyes to see a familiar pair of shades gazing back at her. Jade's breathhitches in her throat.

Dave was confused.

He knew Jade liked him but he felt something that he never expected to feel when she was singing to him. He had a thing for Karkat's ass, not Jade's. This shouldn't be happening. What the hell. She was just his friend, and only a friend. But, regardless of what his brain was telling him, he felt his heart leap in his chest as she sung, off key none the less, to a cliché love song fromMoulin Rouge. He didn't even realize that a smile was threatening to overtake his normally emotionless face.

Dave was brought out of his deep thought by the cacophony of laughter that erupted from his classmates. He saw Jade hop down from the table and start to walk off, and he couldn't stop himself from running over to her and hugging her.

When everyone saw that Dave actually hugged the girl who had sung so horribly, the laughter died off. Nobody wanted Dave fucking Strider mad at them. Slowly, everyone turned back around in their seats and continued with their meals.

Jade turned around and hugged him back; she had never expected this part of the plan to go so… smoothly.

It was then that Dave decided, maybe he did have feelings for Jade. He wasn't sure where that left him and Karkat, but this felt different; less lusty to put it very inelegantly.


End file.
